Dr. Mazzocco completed undergraduate and graduate degrees in psychology, with an emphasis on developmental and experimental psychology. She also received a graduate degree in early childhood education, and worked as a classroom teacher before pursuing her doctoral studies. Dr. Mazzocco received her Ph.D. from Arizona State University. She then complemented her training in child cognitive development with postdoctoral training in developmental neuropsychology and developmental disabilities, at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. It is through this postdoctoral fellowship that Dr. Mazzocco became involved with learning disability research, and also established her interests in cognitive phenotype research. Dr. Mazzocco joined the faculty in 1993. She continues to pursue research on fragile X and Turner syndrome, in the context of her research on children's mathematical learning. She initiated the Math Skills Development Project in 1997, through which she has followed a group of students from kindergarten through 9th grade (so far!).

Dr. Mazzocco’s primary research interests pertain to general cognitive development in young children. In that context, she has maintained research programs that fall under two general categories. One category involves studies of cognitive development and cognitive phenotypes in children with X-chromosome related disorders. These disorders include fragile X syndrome, Turner syndrome, and Barth Syndrome. Through her work with these selected phenotypes, Dr. Mazzocco addresses biological influences on cognitive development and function. The second category of research studies pertain to children who do not have any known developmental disorder, including children with 'typical' development and children with learning disability not linked to a known genetic condition. Dr. Mazzocco studies normal and atypical development of mathematical skills and higher order language skills in the early school years. Together, the studies that fall in either of these two categories of research contribute to our knowledge of cognitive ability and disability.

In view of her background in early childhood education, Dr. Mazzocco emphasizes the application of her research findings to educational and other settings.

D Berch & MMM Mazzocco (Eds.), Why is Math So Hard for Some Children: The Nature and Origins of Mathematics Learning Difficulties and Disabilities. Baltimore, MD: Brookes Publishers. (2007).  Listed on Brookes Publishing and at Amazon.com

MMM Mazzocco & J Ross & (Eds.), Neurogenetic Developmental Disorders: Variation of Manifestation in Childhood. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. (2007). Listed on MIT Press and at Amazon.com.

Mazzocco, M.M.M. (2009). Pathways to Mathematical Difficulties and Disabilities. Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews Vol 15 (1). [Guest Editor of this Special Issue].

Halberda, J., Mazzocco, M. M. M., & Feigenson, L. (2008). Individual differences in nonverbal number acuity correlate with maths achievement. Nature. 455:2, 665-668, DOI 10:1038/Nature 07246.

Mazzocco, M.M.M. (2008). Introduction: Mathematics Ability, Performance, and Achievement. Developmental Neuropsychology, 33:3, 197-204. [Invited Guest Editor of this Special Issue]

Mazzocco, M.M.M., & Devlin, K.T. (2008). Parts and holes: Gaps in rational number sense in children with vs. without mathematical learning disability. Developmental Science. 11:5, 681-691

Murphy MM, Mazzocco MMM, Hanich L, & Early MC. (2007). Cognitive characteristics of children with mathematics learning disability (MLD) vary as a function of the cut-off criterion used to define MLD. Journal of Learning Disabilities. 40:458-478.

Lachance J, & Mazzocco MMM. (2006). Longitudinal analysis of sex differences in math and special skills in primary school age children. Learning & Individual Differences ; 16:195-216.

Mazzocco MMM, & Kover, ST. (2006). Longitudinal assessment of the development of executive function and math skills and their association with math performance. Child Neuropsychology; 13: 18-45.

Mazzocco MMM, & Thompson RE. (2005). Kindergarten predictors of math learning disability. Learning Disabilities Research and Practice. 20:142-155.

Mazzocco MMM & Myers GF. Complexities in identifying and defining mathematics learning disability in the primary school age years. Annals of Dyslexia, 53: 218-253, 2003.

Mazzocco MMM & Myers GF, Thompson LA, Desai SS. Possible explanations for children's literal interpretations of homonyms. Journal of Child Language, 30(4): 879-904, 2003.

Michele M. M. Mazzocco, Ph.D.

Research Scientist
Kennedy Krieger Institute
(map & directions)

E-mail: mazzocco@kennedykrieger.org

Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine



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